There are occasions when it is necessary to provide additional information or detail about the reading given by a particular manuscript or authority. To add this information, which should be kept as small as possible in our editions, we use the tag <witDetail>, with this syntax:

<l n="314">Aoniae. Iam iamque
	<app>
		<lem>animis</lem>
		<rdg wit="#O #Q #Baehrens">animus</rdg>
		<rdg wit="#Σ">animo</rdg>
		<rdg wit="#P #W #Müller1882">animi
			<witDetail wit="#Müller1882">p. 16</witDetail>
		</rdg>
	</app>
male debita regna</l>

As we can see in the example, <witDetail> is always included within the <rdg> to which it refers, after the content node that contains the variant.

Since a reading can be attested by several manuscripts or witnesses, we always need to indicate with the attribute @wit within <witDetail> from which testimony that contains this reading it is that we are giving extra information. In the example we see Müller's 1882 book, which on page 16 suggests this reading for this passage. If it were a critical edition, it would not be necessary to give this information, but it may be about scientific works, articles, books, etc., which do indeed require the full reference or a further explanation.

The content node of <witDetail> is free, you can include there whatever you need to explain about this reading witness.

Of course, a <witDetail> can be added for each of the witnesses in the @wit of the <rdg>.